Chargers match bizarre NFL record set by team that folded in 1926

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chargers match bizarre NFL record set by team that folded in 1926

By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Sep 21, 2026 12:18 AM ET

The Los Angeles Chargers are off to a shocking 0-2 start, with the losses coming against the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders.

As if the loss to Arizona in Week 1 wasn't surprising enough, Las Vegas came to L.A. and shocked Jim Harbaugh's team 26-14 at SoFi Stadium.

The Chargers were expected to win both games, especially because the Raiders and Cardinals had the No. 1 and No. 3 picks, respectively, in the 2026 NFL Draft that took place not even six months ago.

So, how bad have things been for the Chargers? Here's one stat that sums it up perfectly.

The Chargers are the first team since 1926 to lose back-to-back games by double digits, with the games at home against teams who had a sub-.200 winning percentage the season before.

Can you guess the other team? It was the Racine Tornadoes.

The Chargers are the second team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games by double digits with both coming at home against teams that had a sub-.200 win pct the previous season.

The other was the 1926 Racine Tornadoes (Oct. 10-17), who played just one more game before folding.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 21, 2026

Who were the Racine Tornadoes?

Never heard of the Racine Tornadoes? That's because they played just four seasons, with 1926 being their final season.

Yet, the Chargers, who have Jim Harbaugh as the head coach and Mike McDaniel as the offensive coordinator, now have their names next to them in the record books.

Star quarterback Justin Herbert has two touchdowns and three interceptions through the first two games, and the defense has looked horrible after Jesse Minter left to take the head coach job with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Chargers can only hope things get better, but they have a difficult road test in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills, followed by a road contest against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4.

Matt Wadleigh

Matt Wadleigh is based in California and born and raised in the San Diego area. He studied print journalism at Fresno State for college and got to watch Paul George, Derek Carr and Davante Adams play in a Bulldogs uniform. His work has been featured at ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Sporting News, and various USA Today sites, including UCLA Wire, where he was the first managing editor

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